Heaven on earth!

Utah is amazing.  Today was our first day of rain and it has been an entire week.  It's almost nice that it's raining because then I don't feel bad just sitting around inside all day.  Not that we've been doing much sitting around inside, in fact we have been pretty busy since the last post!

 Above Erika, Soph, and I are beginning the first set of level three intervals since arriving at 7000 feet.  It was 3 by 8 minutes double poling on the flat followed by 3 by 6 minutes striding.  The nice thing about being up really high is that to go level 3 (threshold) all you have to do is worry about skiing with super good techinque and BAM heart-rate 175 (my average level 3). The route we did the intervals on was alright too, I guess (just kidding it was the prettiest roller ski of my entire life).  The intervals felt good, and my lactate on the last one was 4.6 which was right on target!

Packer looking super good on one of the double pole intervals (notice the casual lake and mountains in the background).

Erika, Soph, and I striding at the end of our cool down.  Look at that synchrony.  Not that we tried to do that or anything...

This was at the top of our cool down.  Sometimes it takes us awhile to get into order for the picture.  Or maybe Gus was trigger happy with the camera button and just didn't tell us he was taking one.  

 Everyone finally getting together for the classic and obviously necessary group shot.  Utah (and the team) at its (our) finest.

Again not quite ready for the picture.

But we eventually get there.  As Skyler would say (about his shuffleboard game, but it still applies to these pictures too) it's not about how you start but how you finish.  But ask him and Gus about their record against Packer and me in shuffle board (3-2, our favor...just sayin).

This was driving back from one of our runs.  Heaven on earth!  Or at least the entrance.

On one of our off afternoons (following the intervals) Erika and I went hiking with some of the USST alpine boys.  A lot of the guys on the alpine team go to Dartmouth in the spring so we caught up with them for an easy hike.  Here was the view from part way up. Ah-mazing.

And don't worry, we've been baking up a storm.  I think these were my favorite little snacks.  Pretzels, with chocolate, and candy corn.  Literally impossible to go wrong with that combination. 

Anyways, this morning we did some easy skating at Soldier Hollow and then this afternoon we are getting massages (YUS) and then going to dinner and a movie with some of our alpine dartmouth friends.  Working up for some intervals tomorrow, then an off day Sunday (!!!) and then my first experience with testing at the Center of Excellence on Monday.  Woof.

hugz and kissez